Yarns and filaments and method of making the same



. ticular purposes.

Patented Jan. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Camille Dreyfus, New York, N. Y.

No Drawing. Application May 2, 1934, Serial No. 723,506

17 Claims.

This invention relates to the preparation of artificial filaments, yarns, bristles, straw and the like containing organic derivatives of cellulose and having a reduced lustre and other desirable properties.

An object of my invention is to prepare artificial filaments or yarns of subdued lustre. Another object of this invention is to prepare artificial filaments or yarns of reduced lustre by incorporating therein a modified starch that is subject to hydration yet in which the expanding force of hydration is not sufiicient to materially weaken the filaments. Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

Artificial filaments or yarns made of organic derivatives of cellulose often have a lustre which is at times greater than desired for certain par- I have found that if a finely divided modified starch that is not soluble in the solvents employed in making such filaments or yarns is incorporated therein, desired opacity and lack of lustre is imparted thereto.

In accordance with my invention I prepare textile materials such as artificial filaments or yarns by the extrusion of a spinning solution containing an organic derivative of cellulose in a suitable solvent, which solution contains a finely divided modified starch in suspension, through orifices of appropriate size and shape into a, medium causing solidification. The finely divided modified starch is disseminated in the filaments oryarns thus formed, and imparts thereto a desirable subdued lustre and opacity.

I Further as the modified starch is subject to hydration, and swelling this action further acts to break up light rays and reduce the lustre.

It ispreferred to form the filaments containing the modified starch by the dry or evaporative method of spinning which allows the fila- ,ments to become permanently set before any swelling action of the modified starch has taken place. 'Wet spinning methods may be employed however especially if a precipitation medium is used that has substantially no action on the disseminated modified starch.

By-this invention, fine filaments of say from 1 to denier or more may be formed, and a plurality of, such filaments may be associated together by twisting to produce yarn. The yarns thus formed may be twisted to from 1 to 100 or more turns per inch. This invention also includes the yarns formed from fine filaments .that have been cut to short lengths and the yarns formed therefrom by the woolen, worsted, cotton or French methods of .forming yarns or threads from fibers. Heavier filaments to be used as artificial bristles, horsehair, straw and the like of say 100 to 1000 denier or more may also be made.

While cellulose acetate is preferred as th g ganic derivative of cellulose for making the fila- 'ments or yarns, any suitable organic ester or ether of cellulose may be used. Examples of such organic esters of cellulose are cellulose, formate, cellulose butyrate and cellulose pro pionate while examples of the ethers are methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, and benzyl cellulose; In preparing the spinning solution, a suitable solvent or solvent mixture for the organic deriva solvents or solvent mixtures are acetone, chloroform, mixtures or dichlorethylene and ethyl or methyl alcohol. The choice of the solvent or .52 tive of cellulose may be used. Examples of such' solvent mixture will depend upon thesolubility go characteristics of the particular cellulose deriv-' ative employed. Generally the spinning solution contains from 15 to 35% of the organic derivative of cellulose.

In order to impart subdued lustre, opacity and, other desirable characteristics to the filaments or yarns that are to be formed there is incorporated in the spinning solution an appropriate amount of a finely divided chlorinated. starch that is not soluble in the solvent of the spin;

ning solution. The starch may be rice, corn,

potato or arrow root starch. This material may be employed in amounts of from 0.5 to 5% or more on the weight of the cellulose derivative present.

By chlorinated starch is meant a starch which has been treated in the cold with hydrochloric acid or chlorine to change its physical and chemical properties. The chlorinated starch appears to have minute pittings on'the sack of the granule. These sacks unlike those of raw starch, are broken down to minute particles upon milling. In chemical reaction these starches do not stain blue with iodine.

These starches before being incorporated in Any suitable means may be employedfor m corporating the finely divided chlorinated starch in the spinning solution. If the starch is milled in a dilute. solution of the cellulose derivative corresponding or compatible with the spinning solution the necessary ingredients are added while mixing to raise the solution tothe desired spinning concentration. If the chlorinated starch'is ground dry the powder maybe added directly to a pre-mixed spinning solution. If desired the spinning solution containing the finely divided material may be filtered before being spun. Because of the low specific gravity of the organic materials employed, they. remain in suspension in the spinning solution and pass without separation through filters and the spinning apparatus.

The spinning solution may contain besides the.

chlorinated starch other effect materials such as metallic pigments, filling materials, soluble or insoluble dyes orlakes, fire retardants, plasticizers, sizes andlubricants. The lubricants may be the glycols or glycerols their substitution prod- V ucts and derivatives and/or oils'such as sulphonated oils'or fatty acids, olive oil, teaseed oil, cotton seed oil or the animal and mineral oils.

The spinning solution containing the cellulose derivative and chlorinated starch with or without effect materials, may be extruded through suitable orifices into a' drying evaporative atmosphere, as in dry spinning or into a precipitating bath, as in wet spinning to form the desired denier filaments. Dueto the fineness of the chlorinated starch particles and their property of forming stable spinning solutions, filaments of exceedingly low denier may be formed. These filaments may be; grouped together by twisting to form yarns. The filaments as formed, provided no sizing materials have been added thereto, .are soft andpliable and very slightly opaque due to theabsorptionof light by the starch parv ticles.

The yarn may be processedtofabrics. as by V weaving,"warp knitting, circularknitting, knotting or nettingin the usual manner- The soft chlorinated starch particles at the. surface .of the yarn aid the yarn in passing through guides and needles in the. various processing steps.

.While the yarn is in hank form or after it. I has been processed into a fabric'it. may. be subjectedto an' aqueous bath. This yarn is a subboil delustering-yarn vshowing'first signs of delustre atbetween 60 and 70 C. and gives'a pronouncedf-delustre at The delustering properties of the yarn is probably due to the hydration. of the chlorinated, starchparticles. The forces, caused by the hydration, setup in the. yarn is "not suflicient to disrupt. the yarn to any great extent andv therefore the yarn is not materially weakened.., The yarn after treatment is opaque, soft and has a full hand. W

As an illustration and not as a limitation the following example islgiven.

Example Chlorinated starch slightly soluble inwater is milled with a 6% solution of cellulose acetate in acetone until the bulk of the' particles are reduced in size to below 1 micron. A spinning solution of 1 part cellulose acetate in 3 parts acetone solvent is prepared to whichis added.

sufiicient of the cellulose acetate chlorinated starch mixture to form a mixture containing about 3% chlorinated starch on the weight of the cellulose acetate present. The solution is filtered and spun into filaments having a denier distributedftherein.

of from 2 to 3 by the dry method of spinning. The filaments are twisted to a yarn and circu lar knit to a fabric. The fabric is treated in an aqueous bath containing from 2 to 3 grams per litre soap at a temperature of 80 to C. further to subdue the lustre of the same. The strength of the fabric is approximately normal when either wet or dry. The fabric is opaque and delustered and is'soft and full in hand.

The fabric contains permanently over 2.5% of 10 chlorinated starch which aids in imparting good dye qualities to same.

Itis to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is merely given by way of iltherein without departing vfrom the spirit of my invention.

Having described myinvention what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

lustration and many alterations may be made 15 1.,In a method of preparing yarns andfila- 20 ments, the step which comprises extruding a mixture of a solution of an 'organicjderivative 'of cellulose in a volatile solvent and-a finelydito impart" sub- 30 A p nning solution containing anorganic afi derivative of cellulose, a volatile-solvent'therefor and a finelyedivided chlorinated starch,

5. A spinning solution containing cellulose acetate, acetone therefor and a finely dlvidd chlorinatedstarch.

a 6 Yarnsand filaments"containingjorganic derivatives of cellulose an'da finely'dlvide'd starch material distributed therein.

7. Yarns and filaments containing cellulose acetate and a finely dividedmodifiedfstarch ma- 1 terial' distributed there-in;

8. Yarns and filaments containing organic derivatives of cellulose anda-fin'ely divided chlorinated starch distributed therein.

modified .9. Yarns and filaments containingcellulose m acetate and a finely divided chlorinated starch 10. Process for the production of yarns, filaments and like materials which have a basis of an organic derivative of cellul'ose and which are delusterable by treatment withjaqueous media at temperatures below-80 C.', whichcomprises the step-of dispersing in the materials afinely divided modified starch. 3 5 1 11. Process for the production 'ofy'arns, filaiv ments and like materials which have abasis of an organic derivative of cellulose and which are delusterable by treatment with aqueous media at temperaturesbelow 80 0., whichcomprises the step of dispersing in the materials' a finely' divided chlorinated starch.

12. Process for the production of yarns, filaments and like materials which have abasis of cellulose acetate and which are delusterable by below 80 .C which comprises thestep of dispersing in the materials a finely divided chlorinated starch. V

13. Process for the production of yarns lilatreatment with aqueous media at temperatures 70 mentsand like materials'which have a'basis of 75 cellulose acetate and which are delusterable by treatment with aqueous media at temperatures below 80 C., which comprises treating starch material with a substance selected from the group consisting of chlorine and hydrochloric acid and dispersing the treated starch in the materials in the form of fine particles.

14. Process for the production of yarns, filaments and like materials which have a basis of cellulose acetate and which are delusterable by treatment with aqueous media at temperatures below 80 C., which comprises extruding a solution which has a basis of cellulose acetate dissolved in a volatile solvent and which contains fine particles of a chlorinated starch, through orifices into an evaporative atmosphere.

15. Process for the production of yarns, filaments and like materials having a basis of an organic derivative of cellulose and having a subdued luster, which comprises dispersing in the materials a finely divided modified starch and subjecting the products to treatment with an aqueous medium at a temperature between C. and C.

16. Process for the production of yarns, filaments and like materials having a basis of cellulose acetate and having a subdued luster, which comprises dispersing in the materials a finely divided chlorinated starch and subjecting the products to treatment with an aqueous medium at a temperature between 60 C. and 80 C.

17. Process for the production of yarns, filaments and like materials having a basis of cellulose acetate and having a subdued luster, which comprises extruding a solution having a basis of cellulose acetate dissolved in acetone, and which contains fine particles of a chlorinated starch, through orifices into an evaporative atmosphere, and subjecting the products to treatmentwith an aqueous medium at a temperature between 60 C. and 80 C.

CAMILLE DREYFUS. 

